Who Should I Start? Marcedes Lewis or Ian Thomas

Thursday, May 29, 2:50 PM

Veteran free-agent tight end Marcedes Lewis wants to play in 2025, and he expects it to be his final NFL season. The 41-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears following five seasons with the Green Bay Packers and 12 campaigns with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Originally a first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Lewis has tallied 437 receptions for 5,115 yards and 40 touchdowns in 285 career games. He hasn't cracked 400 receiving yards since 2012, but he is one of the better blocking tight ends in the league. If he signs somewhere for a 20th NFL season, he will not be on the fantasy football radar. Either way, it's easy to root for the veteran who has been remarkably healthy late in his career.

Tuesday, March 25, 1:32 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Tuesday that they signed free-agent tight end Ian Thomas (calf) to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday. Thomas will head to the AFC West after spending the first seven years of his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers after they selected him in the fourth round (101st overall) in the 2018 NFL draft out of Indiana. The 28-year-old never really established himself as a fantasy asset in Carolina, with his best season coming in his rookie campaign with a 36-333-2 line on 49 targets in 16 games (six starts). Thomas landed on Injured Reserve in 2024 with a calf injury and only caught three of six targets for seven yards in five games (two starts). He scored four touchdowns in his first three seasons but hasn't found the end zone since. In Vegas, he'll provide TE depth behind Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer and will remain off the fantasy radar.